Volleyball Preview Part 1: UW-Milwaukee

Aug. 8, 2005

With all but one player returning from last season's Horizon League regular season championship squad, prospects for the 2005 campaign are bright for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee volleyball team.

But, head coach Kathy Litzau says people shouldn't overlook the transition the team has to make entering this fall.

Litzau is confident in her team's abilities, was impressed with the large strides they made during the spring season and believes they will be competing for a third-straight Horizon League crown and a return to the NCAA Tournament in 2005. But, she also notes the large void left by the one senior from last season - Horizon League Player of the Year and honorable mention All-American Karen Fruit - is something the Panthers can't easily fill.

"In losing just one player and returning 12 of 13 players from a regular season championship team, you figure there is a good core and you have a great team coming back," Litzau said. "We do, but when we started to play this spring you could just see how different we were. You can see immediately everything Karen Fruit did for this program.

"When it's just one person, you think it would be easier to replace them.But it is just so obvious how much she did for this team. She was the leader, she was the go-to hitter, she did stuff on the court, she did stuff off the court, and so we realized that we really had to re-define this team. We relied on her so much, but now other people have to step up."

That process, Litzau said, started this spring as the Panthers remade their team, adjusting the offensive formation, the defensive lineup and even the positions of some hitters.

"It's very refreshing," Litzau said. "There is an awful lot of talent on this team. We went from the Marquette tournament at the beginning of the spring where we really, really struggled to the Loyola tournament at the end of the spring where we were beating teams and pushing some of the top teams in the Midwest. We really, really came a long ways. The future is definitely bright."

The most notable change for the Panthers will come in the form of an offensive shift, moving from a 5-1 set to a 6-2 attack. This will allow All-Horizon League performer Melissa Lange to remain on the floor as one of the team's setters while allowing Horizon League Newcomer of the Year Leanne Felsing to spend time hitting and setting, something she did in becoming one of the top volleyball players in Wisconsin during her high school and club career.

"We think we have the two best setters in the league," Litzau said. "Both setters are very, very good and both offer different things, so I like having both of them on the floor. They are very supportive of each other but they push each other. It is a very healthy rivalry."

With Felsing spending some of her time as the team's setter, and with the Panthers needing to fill Fruit's outside hitter spot in the lineup, sophomore Jamie Gabrielson will get her chance to move from libero to an attacking position. It is something Gabrielson - quite possibly the most powerful hitter on the team - showed she could do in her limited opportunities hitting last season.

After making the league all-newcomer team as a libero last year, Gabrielson will provide a solid defensive presence when in the back row and has the size to aid the block while in the front row. But Gabrielson's move out of the libero spot will also change the Panther defense, with a variety of players, led by sophomore Breit Nelson, hoping for a crack at taking over that defensive role.

Perhaps no player on the Panthers seems more poised for a breakout season than senior Rachel Kuebbing. She has been in the UWM lineup in some role since her freshman season, yet has always found standouts like Fruit and Sarah Potts ahead of her in the pecking order. That is no longer the case, as Kuebbing will be counted on to be the Panthers' offensive leader in 2005.

"Rachel has definitely grown throughout her career and she will definitely be an offensive threat. I think she is one of the best hitters in the league," Litzau said. "She doesn't have any awards to her name and we've talked about that. Her answer is that it hasn't been her turn yet, but now she says it is her turn. There have always been other players on our team that have been the go-to players, the ones we have counted on and have stood out more. But she knows this is her chance to be the one we count on."

And, then, there's the matter of having 12 players on the roster who all have collegiate experience of some sort and plan to find their way on the court in some way this season.

Junior Monica Ferguson, who provided a spark as a middle hitter early last season, moved to the left side in the spring to compete with Gabrielson for playing time. Junior Melissa David, an all-newcomer team member two years ago, and sophomore Nicole Vilter will also be looking for playing time on the outside.

Ferguson's move outside also came, in part, because of the depth the Panthers already have in the middle. Juniors Cheryl Hegemann and Sarah Moore both appear capable of earning all-league honors with more consistency.

Senior Molly McNab, who has battled through injuries much of her career, adds a strong defensive presence and Litzau calls her one of the best blockers she has ever had at UWM. Sophomore Kelley Olson hopes to find her way into the mix in the front row, too.

In the end, the Panthers know they'll likely be picked at or near the top of the Horizon League and many observers will expect them to win a third-straight regular season league title. Litzau is fine with those expectations and wants to add more. The Panthers have been bounced out of the last two league tournaments and, thus, have been denied NCAA Tournament bids in back-to-back years after going to the tournament for five-straight seasons. Litzau says a return to the NCAAs is very much on the radar.

"This senior class is the last group that has been in an NCAA Tournament, and I know the whole team talked about getting back there right away last fall when the season ended," Litzau said. "We've talked in past years about focusing on the finish, but as the head coach that is my ultimate focus for this year. We have a tough schedule that will challenge us and get us ready for league play, and I want to be a team that not only gets better, but never settles and is never happy.

"Winning the regular season conference title is important, but it is not the end. We'll then focus on winning the Horizon League Tournament - we need to focus on that finish. And then there's the NCAA Tournament - we will always be striving for what is next"

The Panthers will be facing one of their most daunting schedules in recent seasons in 2005. Included are four contests against teams from the Big East, two matches with SEC foes and dates with teams from the ACC and Big Ten.

"It certainly is a challenging schedule," Litzau said. "The tournaments all have very good teams in them, especially our own. I have always talked about fighting to the finish, whether it be in a game, a match or in the season.This schedule will help us get better throughout the season, prepare us for league play and ensure we are fighting to the finish when it comes time for the league tournament and the NCAA Tournament."

UWM opens its fall season with six-straight away matches before kicking off the Klotsche Center slate with the Panther Invitational. The invite boasts possibly its best-ever field, which includes MVC power Northern Iowa and SEC West champion Alabama. State rival Marquette and Midwest power Cincinnati also highlight the schedule.

Story Provided by Kevin O'Connor, UW-Milwaukee Sports Information